//------------------------------//
// Return to Equestria, Part II 
// Story: Spiders and Magic IV: The Fall of Spider-Mane 
// by Maximus_Reborn 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Forty-Five "Return to Equestria, Part II"

Deep within the confines of Canterlot Castle, Starlight Glimmer rummaged through the royal archives. Piles of books laid scattered around her position. The mare exhaled after having scrolled through another book before tossing it behind her shoulder. Pausing momentarily, Starlight's eyes widened upon spotting a volume of particular interest on the nearest shelf. She used her magic to retrieve it and flipped through its pages, smiling after a brief analysis.

"Yes! This isexactlywhat I was looking for," Starlight whispered, sliding the book within a hidden compartment of her saddlebag. With a content nod, the mare made her way for the door, and she stopped momentarily, furrowing her brow as a thestral stood by the exit. It muttered lowly, just loud enough for the mare to hear. Starlight huffed after the message was delivered. "The meeting's taking place now? I'll be right there."

The thestral quickly bowed before departing, prompting Starlight to exit the room and head in the opposite direction with a sour expression. To say that she was not fond of her present company would've been an understatement, seeing as they were either egotistical, maniacal, or both. However, she owed a debt to Discord, and staying with this lot furthered her own agenda. A coy smirk surfaced on the mare's features. For now, she would play along until the time was right.

"Why, hello," a male's voice stated from behind, earning Starlight's gaze. A black substance spread across the majority of the snow-white stallion's body, sparing only his head. Once the white spider insignia spread across his chest, the blond unicorn grinned. "If it isn't Starlight Glimmer. You're looking ravishing."

Starlight paid the stallion's words no mind, casually walking by him without so much as a glance. "Blueblood," she greeted him dismissively.

Blueblood huffed at the mare's cold response before walking by her side. "As mysterious as ever, I see. Now that we're cohorts, I thought we could get to know each other. I've learned quite a bit about the others with the exception of the siren, but you're even less of a conversationalist than her."

"A hint is such, and you still can't seem to grasp it," Starlight blankly murmured, pausing before slowly traveling down a flight of stairs. "My business is my own. Simple as that. I have no intention of sharing my life story with you or anypony else."

Blueblood continued to follow the mare, furrowing his brow. "That's quite fine, actually. I just want to know what your ultimate goal is." The pair reached the bottom of the stairs and the main lobby door. However, before going through the entrance, Blueblood stepped in front of Starlight, cutting off her path. "The Goblin wants an empire in his name, Carnage wants anarchy, and Electro wants power, though it doesn't seem he'll know what do when he gets it. But I'm most curious as to what drives you."

Starlight frowned, as if contemplating his response. The mare soon narrowed her gaze on the stallion. "Before I answer, I'll ask you that same question. What doyouhave to gain by aligning yourself with this lot?"

"Recognition," Blueblood replied without hesitation, closing his eyes with a huff. "My beauty and grace have been known throughout Equestria since my teenage years. However, the entire world loses sight when some nopony falls from the sky and blinds them with his inane antics. Even after it's revealed that he wasn't from our world in the first place, everypony accepted him. Even my own family chose him over me." The stallion shook his head. "I may have lost my noble status before he perished, but under the world's new rule, I am a prince once more. With my new power, the world will never fail to recognize me again."

Starlight stared at the stallion for what felt like eons before she harshly scoffed. "Unbelievable. You despise somepony not from our world enough to bond yourself with an alien symbiote for something as trivial as popularity?" She turned sharply on her hoof and faced the door. "Not only are you a petty pony blinded his own ego, but you're an enormous hypocrite as well."

Blueblood's eyes widened at the statement. "Idosay! How dare you?!"

Starlight raised a hoof, silencing the stallion. "Our society is marred by inconsistency. Cutie marks dictate rank, and our political system has fallen into an imbalanced frenzy. I will create an empire where everypony is truly equal. The chaos of this world will be but a distant memory. A pony with your ego and arrogance has no place there."

The mare finally entered the main lobby, earning the collective gazes of the four currently present. Blueblood scowled, holding a venomous glare at Starlight, but he let out a harsh exhale before following her example. At the middle of the two-floor room, underneath a large chandelier, sat a round table with a crystal ball at the center. The Green Goblin and Electro paid no attention to the newcomers as they found their respective seats at the table.

Carnage and Venom shot each other a malicious glare before hesitantly shifting their gazes to the crystal ball. Adagio weakly shared a glance with Starlight, but the siren's somber gaze fell back to the ground, causing the mare to hold a concerned expression. Suddenly, an image materialized at the center of the crystal ball, collectively earning everypony's attention in the process. Tirek soon appeared within the orb holding a wide smirk, the Crystal Empire resting behind his shoulder.

"Are you done there yet, Tirek?" Carnage questioned, tapping his hoof impatiently against the table. "I'msickandtiredof waiting."

Tirek merely chuckled. "Patience, Cletus. I have only just finished draining most of the denizens here of their magic. You will be free to come back and do as you please with the city's inhabitants shortly, I assure you."

"I know we have our deal, but how much longer will this take?" Electro questioned, furrowing his gaze.

Tirek shook his head. "Not long. I've nearly had my fill. With so much magic at my disposal, nopony will dare to challenge us. I'll return to Canterlot within the hour, and then you will all be free to go. However, I would like to do a sweep of Manehattan tomorrow, as we agreed. I trust that there are no objections?" The entire room fell silent as everypony shared a nod. Tirek smiled afterward. "I thank you all for your patience. We willallget what's coming to us soon enough."

The image within the crystal ball dissipated, and the Green Goblin stood, chuckling under his breath. "Truer words have never been spoken."

"Is that so? Be careful with your words, Goblin," Electro growled as electrical currents sparked from his body. "Don't think that I've forgotten what you did to me. You eventhinkabout pulling a stunt like that again, and Iwillmake sure you stay dead. Permanently."

Green Goblin snickered before turning his back to Electro. "Well now, aren't you the sensitive one? You still haven't gotten over that incident, have you? I'll be sure to keep my distance."

Electro's brow lowered into a glare. "Don't you turn your back on me, Osborn!"

Stopping in his tracks, Goblin scoffed and glanced at Electro from the corner of eye before continuing to walk away with his back facing him. "Oh, no, Maxwell. As I recall, it isyouwho shouldn't turnyourback on me."

Faster than anypony could react, Electro sped across the room in a blur and materialized inches away from the Green Goblin with a snarl."Is that achallenge?!"

Their faces were mere inches from each other, Green Goblin smirked while keeping a hoof latched onto one of his saddlebags. "Oh, Idarefor you to strike me."

"That'senough!" Adagio lashed out, vibrations launching from her voice. The wave forced both stallions to separate, each hopping out of the projectile's range. Adagio stood with a stern glare, frowning. "We've sacrificedtoo muchto let you two ruin everything now. Now, stop acting like children and be patient." The siren shrugged, rolling her eyes before walking to the opposite side of the room. "I don't really care what you do to each other after this, but keep it to yourselves for now. Otherwise, I'll kill you twomyself."

Starlight Glimmer huffed, waving a hoof dismissively before following the siren's example. "Ditto."

Blueblood cleared his throat. "Everypony,please." The stallion alternated his gaze between all of his cohorts. "We've succeeded. There is no need to argue during our triumph."

Carnage cackled, trailing his snake-like tongue over his claws. "Great host, Venom. He has as much backbone as you!"

The air in the vicinity grew thick as tensions rose. Glares were shot in each direction. However, before things could escalate any further, a pair of strands of webbing shot out from the ceiling and latched onto the floor next to Venom and Carnage respectively. Spider-Mane slingshot himself into view, speeding towards the ground, and faster than Blueblood could react, Peter delivered a spin kick across the jaw. The force of the blow sent Venom sliding across the floor past Electro and Goblin until he struck the wall. Carnage readied to attack the intruder, but Spider-Mane dashed forward, striking his midsection repeatedly with enough force to push the symbiote-clad pony back.

"It's Spider-Mane!" Starlight exclaimed while everypony's expressions shifted between bewilderment and shock.

Electro gritted his teeth before taking flight. "Impossible! How did he survive the explosion?!"

The Green Goblin shrugged, cackling while retrieving a pair of bombs from his saddlebag. "It hardly matters! Let's make sure that hestaysdead this time!"

An ill wind blew over Adagio as she froze, staring wildly at Spider-Mane. "You…" the siren whispered as she trembled, dark energies emitting from her entire body. Images of Aria and Sonata flashed across the siren's mind as her expression of utter shock slowly morphed into one of seething rage."I losteverythingbecause ofyou!" she exclaimed, her voice distorting. "I'llkill you!"

Snarling, Adagio inhaled deeply and screamed at the top of her lungs. A channeled wave of energy rushed out, rupturing the surrounding marble effortlessly. Spider-Mane continued to deliver multiple strikes to the symbiote-clad pony, flipping high into the air once the siren's wave neared. The energy slammed into Carnage, driving his frame through a thick marble column.

Adagio immediately ceased her melody at the sight, snarling as she gritted her teeth to the core. "Damn it!"

The second he landed, a pair of bombs fell at his hooves, forcing Spider-Mane to fire a strand of webbing onto the ceiling. The stallion slingshot himself high into the air as the explosives detonated, narrowly managing to escape the blast radius. The Green Goblin quickly threw a third bomb at the airborne target. However, Spider-Mane latched a thread of webbing onto the projectile once it was mere hoof-lengths away, spun in midair, and hurled the explosive back at its launcher. The bomb exploded upon colliding into the Green Goblin's chest, sending the pegasus spiraling into the nearest wall.

Peter continued to soar before landing on the second floor. Venom emerged from the shadows, slamming his shoulder directly into the stallion's collarbone. Spider-Mane rolled across the ground and flipped back to his hooves in a fluid motion, quickly blocking a direct punch from Blueblood with a hoof. Venom roared, wildly swiping away at the smaller stallion, but Peter dodged each blow, spinning to the side while pulling his sleeve back until a lighter fell into his free hoof. With a swift flip of the switch, Spider-Mane held out a flame inches away from Venom's face.

The symbiote released a horrified screech, pulling back out of instinct until Blueblood's face was completely exposed. Peter's hoof slammed into the stallion's face with a crack before the symbiote could hope to retract back into place, and Blueblood rolled across the floor before skidding to a heaping halt. Just as Peter readied to pursue Venom, an alarm blared profusely within his cranium. He swayed his upper body back, narrowly dodging a bolt of lightning from below. Electro smirked as Spider-Mane narrowed his gaze at him before firing a trio of potent electrical bolts in his direction in rapid succession.

Peter dashed across the second floor, ducking underneath the first projectile without losing any momentum, and he sped past the second before swaying his upper body out of the third's range. Snarling, Electro unleashed another bolt at the stallion. However, Spider-Mane skidded to a halt, turned sharply, and jumped directly over the projectile towards Electro. Peter fired a strand of webbing onto his chest before flipping high over his head. Electrical currents rushed through the threads and channeled into the web-cartridge, only to dissipate harmlessly.

"Magnetized the shooters. Why didn't I think about that? It'ssoobvious," Peter muttered, jerking his hoof with enough strength to whip Electro into the air towards him. Spider-Mane held his free hoof to the side, managing to cover it entirely with his own webbing before delivering a fierce uppercut to the jaw. The blow launched Electro skyward with enough force to imbed his entire head through the marble ceiling. The webbing around his hoof disintegrated at the point of impact, yet Spider-Mane chuckled at the sight of the dangling Electro. "Thank you, Gwen Stacy."

The alarms in his head blared profusely, prompting the stallion to duck underneath a magical beam of energy before leaping back to the main floor. Starlight Glimmer rushed towards Spider-Mane with magic emitting from her horn, and she unleashed a second beam, guiding it after the stallion. The energy pierced through the marble, rupturing the stone as it chased Spider-Mane. Peter scaled the nearest column in an upright sprint, flipping into the air once the beam neared, and he extended his hooves in mid-flip, firing a pair of web-balls at the mare. The first collided into her horn, enveloping the appendage. The second expanded upon hitting her chest, binding Starlight to a cocoon.

Adagio watched Spider-Mane land mere hoof-lengths away with a vicious snarl. As the siren inhaled deeply, Peter's sixth sense blared, causing his cranium to throb. He pressed a side switch on one of his web-cartridges, and a tiny, flat metallic device fell from a secret compartment within. Adagio screamed a harsh melody, sending out a violent, vibrational wave.

The surrounding marble crumbled under the sound, shattering to rubble. Before the wave could reach him, Peter spun around and tossed the metal device into the center of the energy. The metal glowed in response to the waves, channeling corresponding frequencies before ricocheting the energy directly back at its sender. Adagio's body suddenly snapped back as her reflected voice struck furiously, jettisoning into the nearest column with enough force to crack the surface.

Bursting through a chunk of marble next to him, Carnage tackled Spider-Mane before he could hope to react and lifted his body from the ground. The symbiote drove the stallion through the nearest set of walls, relinquishing his hold once they reached a distant room. Peter's momentum thrust him into a roll, but he flipped to his hooves, skidding to a halt before lowering into a defensive stance. Carnage cackled wildly as his tail morphed into the form of an axe and the talons over his hooves sharpened.

Spider-Mane's masked eyes furrowed at the sight before his horn emitted magical energy. Suddenly, particles of energy enveloped his hooves, taking shape in a burst of light. Peter slammed his hooves together, revealing a metallic pair of gauntlets, and sparks of electricity cracked across their smooth surface. Carnage lunged forward with his claws raised high, forcing Peter to raise his hooves defensively, and a shockwave erupted as both blows collided, with both stallions locked in a stalemate. Spider-Mane stood underneath the symbiote-clad pony, straining to keep his claws at bay.

Carnage pressed his weight down onto Peter until their faces were inches apart. "I shattered your tiny gauntlets once, and I'll do it again!"

Spider-Mane shifted to the side, causing Carnage's momentum to slip in that direction. Before the symbiote-clad pony could hope to react, Peter slammed the back of his hoof against his cheek. "Keep dreaming!"





"You know what? I've seen a lot of strange things in my time. Heck, most folks think I'm just weird altogether," Patricia nonchalantly stated, flipping to the side out of the range of a vine. She paused, lowering into a squatting stance as she folded her hooves. "Despite that, I'm still a little surprised by what's happening here."

Twilight soared through the sky, yelping as she narrowly swayed underneath a wild swipe from a vine. "Iknowwhat you're thinking about saying! I hearthat onefrom Peterevery timesomething like this happens! So, justkeep quiet!"

Patricia waved a hoof dismissively, leaping from one pillar to the next while a pair of vines pursued her. "I'm just saying that this isa littleout there." She peered down at the ground, narrowing her gaze at the creature in the center of the room. An enormous venus flytrap stood at the center of the gathering of thorned vines, roaring and lashing at its surrounding attackers. Patricia shrugged. "I mean, you think Eris would have warned us about a giant plant monster acting as the root?"

"Maybe she didn't know?" Sonata suggested, galloping past a pair of vines before hurdling over a third.

Felicia rolled her eyes, leaping to the side once a vine threatened to ensnare her. "I have a feeling that she did. Lord knows she's a troll." The mare threw a kick, knocking another vine away as it neared. "For all we know, she didn't want to ruin the surprise."

Patricia held her silence for a few seconds before she eventually nodded. "I guess that is a possibility. Anyway, with all the cute, innocent girls and suspicious-looking vines here…"

Twilight paused, growling. "I'mwarningyou, Patricia!"

A pair of vines whipped around Sunset Shimmer's waist, ensnaring the mare while lifting her frame high into the air. Luna flew towards her captured friend, only to be swatted away by a vine. Patricia flipped from the ceiling, spinning several times before delivering a kick to the thorned thread. The vine relinquished Sunset, and Gwen swung across the cave on a strand of webbing, catching the mare before she could crash to the ground.

Patricia landed on the edge of a cliff, tilting her head to the side as several vines slithered towards her while hissing. "I've seen enough hentai to know wherethisis going!"

Exasperated, Twilight exhaled at the top of her lungs. "Ugh!"

Gwen sidestepped out of the vine's path, shaking her head. "Penetration jokes aside-"

"Oh! So,that'swhat hentai is!" Sonata chimed, her eyes widening at a realization.

Gwen watched the siren obliviously run about, avoiding each vine that attempted to capture her before shrugging. "Anyway. I have to admit that a giant plant monster was the last thing I was expecting."

Luna took to the air, maneuvering out of a number of vines' paths. Her irises faded behind a glowing light as she stared intently at the monster. "There's a strong resonance of energy churning at the center of the creature's chest. Aim your attacks there!"

Felicia flipped high into the air before landing at the top of the monster's head, causing it to release a surprised roar. The vines reacted sporadically, wiggling about wildly without a clear sense of direction. The creature shook its head fiercely in a desperate attempt to free the equine from her perched position. Sonata galloped across a vine at high speed, leaping at the end to land on the monster's chest. Inhaling deeply, the siren shrieked at the top of her lungs. Vibrational waves slammed into the creature's solid exterior, managing to crack the surface.

Suddenly, a pair of vines lashed out and whipped around Black Cat and Sonata's waists before lifting them high into the air. Patricia ran by the monster, sliding underneath a vine as it swiped at her. However, she shot a strand of webbing onto one of the thorned stems, never relinquishing her hold, and the monster's momentum shifted drastically once the mare ran under its belly with its captured vine. The creature flipped onto its back with its chest aimed at the ceiling.

Gwen latched two strands of webbing onto the monster's chest upon landing at the center, and she hopped to the highest of her ability, all while never relinquishing the threads. The gossamer stretched to its limit before snapping back, slingshotting the mare with fierce velocity. Gwen rocketed through the air and flipped as she neared the landing point, delivering a stomp into the monster's already cracked chest. The hardened exterior shattered at the point of impact, and magical energies erupted from the opening.

The vines, once plump and thick, withered from existence. The thorns cracked before falling apart, and the plant itself distorted, with the monster's very form fading from sight. The collected magical energy spiraled together into a vortex before breaking apart into individual beams. Each flew into one of the captives as they fell to the ground, allowing color to fill their gray, desolate forms.

Applejack groaned, slowly rising from the ground with a hoof over her forehead. "What in tarnation...?"

"I feel like I just took the biggest nap in my life," Rainbow moaned, shaking the fuzziness from her cranium.

Rarity brushed the dust from her fur, sighing afterward. "Wherearewe? I feel absolutelydreadful."

Fluttershy's eyes slowly opened as she weakly stood. "Oh, my…" she whispered weakly. However, the strength in her legs diminished, causing the pegasus to collapse. Fortunately, Patricia managed to capture Fluttershy, allowing the mare to lean over her shoulder. Fluttershy blinked upon making eye contact with the costumed mare. "Um… Peter? Is that you?"

Patricia chuckled nervously before removing her mask. "Uh, no. I think you have me mixed up with the other guy. He's cute, but I'm way cuter. It's in my papers." She gently pulled the pegasus onto her back and shared a glance with the remaining wielders of the Elements of Harmony, all of whom bore bewildered expressions. Patricia simply shrugged before trotting ahead with Fluttershy in tow. "Trust me. You all remind me of my friends back home."

Sunset Shimmer materialized next to Pinkie Pie, using her magic to lift the mare via telekinesis. "Don't worry, Pinkie. I've got you."

Pinkie groaned, slurring a response before lowering her head once more. "Sunset? Your head's on fire."

With a content sigh, Sunset merely nodded while leading the mare away. "All of these years and you're still exactly the same."

Sonata rushed out to Chrysalis, nudging the mare's shoulder until she stirred to life. "Come on. We can't stay here."

Chrysalis groaned as her eyes fluttered open, and she glanced about her surroundings before holding her gaze on Sonata. "You… You're one of the sirens." She paused while a fanged smile graced her features. "I'm happy to see that at least one of you is willing to change your ways. I can quite literallyfeelthe difference within you." The changeling's smile quickly shifted to a coy smirk as she licked a fang. "It's a rather...delightfulchange, I might add."

Sonata lightly blushed with a sheepish smile, scratching her cheek. "That's only because Peter went out on a limb to help me, and I promised to repay the favor as a friend," Sonata chimed, helping Chrysalis to a standing position before leading the queen away.

"Sister!" Luna called out once she reached Celestia's side. The snow-white alicorn's ears perked at the soft voice before she raised her head, inhaling deeply upon spotting her younger sibling mere inches away. Both alicorns swiftly embraced each other, nuzzling one another affectionately. They eventually parted, with Luna holding a genuine smile. "I'm so happy to see that you're safe. I've missed you so much."

Celestia's eyes swelled as she shook her head in disbelief. "By the stars!How?! We watched you all perish!"

Black Cat stepped forward. "It's alongstory. We can catch up later at the rendezvous point. Right now, we need to hightail it out of here before Tirek finds out that we just cut off his power supply," Felicia interjected, alternating her gaze between the alicorn princesses and Twilight while her brother and sister-in-law smothered her with affection, tears, and questions. "Princess. Give your husband a call."

Twilight's eyes widened before she parted from Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. "Ah, that's right!" She pressed the button on her earpiece with a hoof. "I just hope he's still in one piece."





Carnage staggered back from another blow, pausing before throwing wild slashes at his opponent. The world slowed for Spider-Mane as his Spider Sense triggered, and he reacted in sync, blocking each slash with his hooves. Suddenly, his senses blared at an opening, prompting Peter to follow with a firm strike to the gut before sliding under Carnage's form and flipping the symbiote-clad pony over his shoulder. Carnage landed roughly on his back, but he quickly stood, raising his axe-shaped tail high over Spider-Mane's head. Peter stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack as it cleaved cleanly through the stone where he previously stood.

Static erupted within his earpiece before finally clearing. "Peter! Mission accomplished! Get out of there!"Twilight exclaimed before her voice cut off.

"Right on time," Peter whispered, catching Carnage's leg as he attempted a kick. With his other hooves firmly planted, Spider-Mane lifted the symbiote's leg and reared one of his gauntlets back. "Hey, Carnage! Make a wish!"

Spider-Mane thrust his hoof with a swift yet fierce uppercut directly into Carnage's groin. The symbiote released a pained scream potent enough to match the velocity of the crack echoing across the vicinity. Electrical currents rushed through Carnage's body before he collapsed in a heap, clutching at his lower region. Suddenly, a cloud of smoke rose a few hoof-lengths away from Peter, and the screen cleared, with Mysterio stepping from the fog.

"You get the message?" Spider-Mane questioned, lowering his hooves untilTwilight Armsfaded from sight.

Mysterio nodded. "Indeed. We should make ourselves scarce. From what I gathered from the thestrals outside, Tirek's almost here." The mare quickly glanced about the extensive destruction of the room around her. "And something tells me he won't be too happy when he gets home."

Just as Peter readied to respond, a wall erupted with most of the Sinister Six bursting through. One of the Green Goblin's bombs bounced across the floor towards the pair, forcing Spider-Mane to scoop Trixie into his hooves and jump to the other side of the room as a fiery explosion erupted from the device. Carnage groaned, managing to stand while Electro materialized into existence next to him. Venom hopped onto the nearest wall as Goblin took flight, hovering in midair with a bomb in hoof. Lastly, a large chunk of debris exploded into rubble, and Adagio stomped into the room, holding a venomous glare as she took in seethed breaths through gritted teeth.

As the siren inhaled deeply, Spider-Mane patted Mysterio's shoulder. "Looks like we've overstayed our welcome. Get us out of here!"

"Oh, no, you don't. You're not goinganywhere," Adagio darkly whispered.

The siren screamed at the top of her lungs, unleashing a large, rupturing wave. The magical vibrations shook the castle's very foundation as it tore through all shreds of stone and marble in their path, reducing everything to rubble. However, just as the volatile waves readied to consume all those in their path, clouds of smoke rose from underneath Mysterio and Spider-Mane. The fog dissipated harmlessly within the waves, revealing nothing in the process. The siren ceased her screaming upon noticing this, snarling in frustration and anger.

Adagio shot a glare at a group of thestrals as they entered the room, snatching one by the collar before tossing it to the side. "Search the area! I want him found…now!" Her voice distorted, generating a shockwave potent enough to send tremors coursing through the castle walls. The siren rushed outside, glaring intently at her surroundings. Dark energies resonated within Adagio, causing a black aura to emit from her body while her irises glowed with a bright crimson shade. "Do you hear me, Parker?!I will find you!"

Elsewhere, by the edge of the forest within eyesight of the castle, Peter peeked through the opening of a bush before closing the leaves back. He shared a glance with Trixie as the magic over her horn dissipated. "Nice illusions there, Mysterio. They bought us a clean escape."

"It's exhausting, but I must admit that I am very pleased with the progress of my training," Trixie retorted, wiping the sweat from her brow with a hoof. She eyed the stallion closely with an arched brow as he removed his mask momentarily. "You look fine, all things considered. I was expecting a bloody mess under that mask."

Peter chuckled. "You sound disappointed."

Trixie smirked. "I'm pleasantly surprised. Worrying about you has become a bothersome hobby of mine." Adagio's screams echoed across the airwaves, sending out small tremors through the ground underneath their hooves even at their distance from the castle. Trixie blankly stared at the castle as her ears perked at the siren's furious call. "It sounds like you made quite an impression."

"That's just my roaring public. It's nothing above the norm," Peter quipped, placing a hoof over Trixie's shoulder. "Let's get out of here before they come this way and ask for an encore."

"My sentiments exactly," Trixie replied before both ponies vanished from sight in a cloud of smoke.

To be continued...